Host Upgrade to ESXi 5.0u1 leads to license issues

[khughes]

I recently started upgrading our ESX4.1 hosts to 5.0u1 by doing a clean install but now the license isn't picking up the rebuilt hosts. The first host I rebuilt, I didn't revoke the license from it, support advised me to revoke the license prior to reinstalling so I upgraded another host today but still running into the same issue. Three of our five hosts are showing up in the licensed hosts list and every time I try to run a backup on the rebuilt 5.0u1 hosts the job fails because a lack of license. Any ideas on how to give the rebuilt hosts the license back, it's showing I have plenty of sockets to give.

I've been installing the IBM distro of ESXi 5.0u1 but I have also built this out on the VMware distro and get the same result.

[khughes]

I was able to add both hosts to the servers list which I can do a download from the server itself, and the server shows up in the license list. I'm still unable to run a backup from selecting the VM's from vCenter and if I remove the host from the servers list, the host disappears from the licensed hosts list again.

[tsightler]

Honestly the easiest option is probably to contact support, they should be able to help you. I believe that what is happening is that you are reinstalling hosts with the same name as old hosts and that this is confusing Veeam in some way, but support would be able to help you for sure.

[crichardson]

The license issue might be with vSphere licensing, not Veeam licensing. Did you assign new vSphere 5 licenses via vCenter? If not, you would have to login to your vmware.com account and upgrade your licenses from vSphere 4 to vSphere 5. Then add this new key to vCenter and assign your ESXi hosts to this key. Then Veeam should assign Veam licenses to the hosts.

[khughes]

The license issue might be with vSphere licensing, not Veeam licensing. Did you assign new vSphere 5 licenses via vCenter? If not, you would have to login to your vmware.com account and upgrade your licenses from vSphere 4 to vSphere 5. Then add this new key to vCenter and assign your ESXi hosts to this key. Then Veeam should assign Veam licenses to the hosts.

I have already upgraded the license for ESXi to the 5.0 version prior to testing the backups. And I already had a support case open but they seemed to be at loss of what is going on and forums usually have a quick/knowledgeable response. Support said there was a known issue with ESXi 5.0 U1 so I downgraded to ESXi 5.0 but the same issue is happening. Another support rep recommended just uninstalling and reinstalling Veeam so I'm in the process of that.

I find it hard to imagine that I'm doing something out of the ordinary that is causing these failures when we have a very basic/simple config of ESX/ESXi hosts and I'm pretty sure most people are backing up VM's just fine on ESXi 5.x.